My Easy Sliding Utility Bucket

ABSTRACT

My idea is for a new 5 gal. plastic utility bucket that can be used safely in hydroponics. My idea is for a new safer utility bucket that is easily pulled with the hand, rope or a lanyard, and can be easily pushed near the bottom with a foot, stick or a pole grabber when heavily loaded. My newly designed bucket bottom enables my bucket to slide over carpets, concrete, and other rough surfaces making close working or long pulling of my bucket easier and safer to work with. My new bottom design will not hold water, and will slowly wear down from the center diamond out to the slightly lowering inside and outside ridges. My bucket will tilt and fall over when empty when a weight is placed on the bucket top near the edge, and can be pushed over easier at the top than a normal 5 gal. bucket due to the lipped bottom edge and when heavy with water. I am hopeful that this bucket design will be safer around children if one was to fall into a bucket. The bucket&#39;s wire handle boxes on left and right side of my bucket have been altered with new hooking holes that are designed into the bucket mold. The pulling holes on the top and bottom corners of each box on all sides of each corner are used for a ring or lanyard for long pulling of a heavy bucket. 
     My EZ-Sliding buckets will be manufactured as a one piece unit from a large steel mold and using high pressure heated plastic injection machines. I believe this bucket will help eliminate unsafe and expensive bucket dollies and the old back-breaking no sliding plastic buckets that are used in close working environments today. My bucket will also be used in recreational environments like fishing, picnicking and gardening and more.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the new rounded edge with the new contoured bottom of my single piece sliding 5 gal. utility bucket. FIG. 3 will have full details of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 the wire handle connection box #1 shows the hooking holes #2 located on each corner side with 3 holes for each top corner and 2 holes for each bottom corner for a total of 20 holes in my bucket for hooking to pull a heavy bucket. The top outer support ring #3 runs around the bucket and covers the top of the handle box #1 and the bottom outer support ring #4 will not cover the bottom of said box. A pulling ring #5 is used to pull or push a sliding bucket during close working conditions. The bucket handle #6 is used to carry a bucket.

FIG. 3 shows the bucket handle #6, my bucket #7 with the raised center #16 on the bottom and is the highest part of the diamond shape and works with #17 and #10 as part slope #14 to the edge. The bottom center #16 also works with the inside and outside slightly lowering ridges #11 to eliminate the working weight off the rounded outer edge #8, facilitating movement of a heavy bucket. The bottom rounded outer edge #8 leads across #9 which is actually the lowest part of the bottom to the first ridge face #10. All ridge tops #11 are slightly rounded to help in sliding and wear of the bottom. The ridge top #11 sharply curves straight down the back side #12 of all ridges and is used for grabbing to empty contents of bucket #7. Located behind all ridges #15 (in circles) are high spots that descend down the bottom flat surface on both sides of #15 to #14 the valleys running between the ridge points #13 from the center diamond #16 to the rounded edge #8. The center diamond #16 is circled by a round to diamond descending slope #17 to relieve wear pressure on the descending ridges #11 and assures that the outer edge #8 will slide over most surface obstructions.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 4 shows how rain water will run off my bucket bottom.

FIG. 5 shows my sliding utility bucket #7 and the bottom round edge #8 on the ground #18.

FIG. 6 shows how to pull my easy sliding utility bucket with #19 a lanyard hook to bucket.

FIG. 7 shows my original idea that will fit on most of all 5 gal. utility buckets.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

I have used a 5 gal. plastic utility bucket with a bucket top turned upside down and placed under the bucket to move bucket from place and creates an easier method of moving a heavy bucket with a sliding motion diminishing potential for injury. Maintaining this 2 piece sliding bucket is not as practical as a 1 piece sliding bucket because the two parts can easily come apart when pulling over a sliding obstruction. I have designed a bucket that is a single piece and that has a new bottom with a rounded/beveled edge to facilitate sliding motion over most surfaces. The bottom flat center point is diamond in shape and is the highest, thickest and strongest point to provide maximum stability. The diamond being the thickest part of the bottom and taking most of the working weight and wear, works with the descending ridge tops that eliminates weight on the rounded bottom edge allowing easy sliding across cracks, bumps, carpets, cement, asphalt, water and other surfaces when pulled or pushed. New holes added during molding on all sides of each corner in the 2 bucket wire handle boxes are used to facilitate sliding during close working situations by inserting a ring used as a handle to help with pushing and pulling of a heavy bucket. I have used this bucket which has helped reduce stress to my back. Carrying a heavy 5 gal. bucket is very awkward and can be hazardous. I believe my bucket will make hydroponic gardening safer and faster. When searching online for a sliding bucket there were not any. Checking patents out online around the (CPC B62B 3/104) I found many different bucket dollies built for a 5 gal. bucket as does U.S. Pat. No. 8,376,376 B2. These dollies will accommodate at least one 5 gal. bucket requires the buyer to drill a hole into the outer support ring to hook a bungee cord and stretch to the dolly frame so bucket and dolly can be carried when heavy. My bucket eliminates the burden of carrying a heavy bucket by pulling with a harness and sliding across most surfaces creates less injuries. My bucket will eliminate the cost of dollies that sell between $20.00 to well over a $100. Dollies also need to be cleaned after each grow. Dollies also take up much more space in a grow room. U.S. Pat. No. 6,419,246 B1 is another dolly platform for a cylindrical bucket and has a raised handle for pulling and a hook for attaching another bucket to it. This one has way too many wheels for a grow room where there may be air lines and keeping them clean takes time. I did locate “The Workmaster” online which has a 5 gal. bucket with a handle molded into the bottom side for pouring bucket contents out. I could not find the price for it. There are lots of mops with double buckets with attachments that have buckets that claim to slide. Not any of these double buckets show the bottom and I am sure they would not slide over obstructions. I could not find in my searching online any 5 gal. plastic utility bucket even close to my idea of a molded one piece round sliding 5 gal. bucket with a contoured bottom for pulling over obstructions and for use for hydroponic growing. My bucket with water, air and a potting netty top that fits on top for holding the rocks and plants combines all aspects of a hydroponic 5 gal. utility bucket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top cut, bottom angle view of my sliding bucket.

FIG. 2 shows the new molded hooking holes made into the wire handle bucket box corners.

FIG. 3 shows and explains all the details of FIG. 1

FIG. 4 is a liquid flow chart that shows how water will run off the bucket bottom.

FIG. 5 shows how the EZ-Sliding bucket bottom on the ground.

FIG. 6 shows how the EZ-Sliding bucket can be pulled with a lanyard.

FIG. 7 is a picture of my original idea. This piece or bottom will fit on 85% of 5 gal. buckets already on the market. 

1: A 5 gallon bucket with a rounded bottom edge and a contoured bottom for easy pulling and pushing when heavy, which is almost impossible to do with a normal bucket due to the bottom lip that digs into any surface when moved. 2: (canceled) 3: (canceled) 4: A 5 gallon bucket with 20 hooking holes located in each corner of both wire handle connection boxes and are for pulling and pushing a heavy bucket. 5: Using my EZ-Sliding bucket will reduce back injuries when used in close working conditions. 6: (canceled) 